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A couple of readers have mentioned hearing about Milwaukee M18 Fuel Gen 3 drill overheating issues. I did some searching, and I didn’t find much. I also haven’t heard of any issues from other reviewers.

I wanted to look into things, so I took some time today to put my test sample through some quick torture tests.

I grabbed a fresh Milwaukee M18 XC battery pack, a 1-1/2″ self-drilling spade bit, and a 2-foot section of 2×4.

I clamped it down, and then drilled forward. I kept my second hand on the back of the drill, for stability since I didn’t have the aux handle attached, and to feel for what the motor was doing.

For the first test, I drilled 12 holes as fast as I could, on the lower speed setting. That’s the setting that should be used for larger bits like this. The max speed of the drill exceeds the recommended max speed of the bits.

At the end, the motor area was warm, but not hot. The bit was somewhat hot.

Okay, I needed to push the drill a bit harder. So I drilled 12 holes in another 2×4 section, this time at the higher speed setting, which can be more taxing on a drill.

As mentioned, this exceeds the maximum recommended speed of the bit and is NOT recommended. The drill also feels less controllable, which can be dangerous, and is NOT recommended.

I drilled the 12 holes as fast as I could, and at the end, the motor area was warm, but not uncomfortable. My thermal camera is charging, but before the battery gave out, I saw temps of maybe 110°F for the motor, and 200°F+ for the drill bit.

Not many cordless drills could have done this; a 1-1/2″ self-drilling spade separates the light and medium duty drills from the higher-powered ones.

Long story short: overheating? What overheating??

There are a few things I can do to torture-test the drill even harder, such as drilling a 1″ or 1-1/4″ hole through the 3.5″ edge of a 2×4 with downwards pressure, either with a self-drilling spade bit or self-drilling auger. Or, I can push a 1-1/4″+ auger through the side of a 2×6. Maybe I’ll need a longer bit even, the kind that is normally used with heavy duty right angle drills or impact wrenches. Or maybe I can use a paddle to pix a bucket of mud or other viscous material.

But, from what I’m seeing so far, there’s nothing unusual.

I ran it through a fairly tough task for maybe 10 minutes, and without giving the drill much of a break. I stopped only to take a quick photo and change out the 2×4 test block.

If you are, maybe there’s a specific application or test I can do in an attempt to replicate what you’re seeing. But if not, I don’t see any reason to continue with unrealistic rapid-drilling torture tests.

If I have to bring out steel plate, or turn more 2x4s into Swiss cheese, so be it. But I haven’t seen any evidence of overheating yet, under normal circumstances or the first round of torture testing.

I have overheated cordless drills before, and the motor will usually start burning up the insulation covering the copper windings around the same time it gets uncomfortably warm or even hot. I haven’t seen anything like that in this drill, not yet.

I have yet to see any cause for concern or hesitation. I’m up for investigating this further, and can use a bit of help.

The negative reviews reguarding over heating I saw, came off Milwaukee’s site. I have to think if it was a real problem, it would be well known by now.
I just had my 3rd Gen Packout w/ 6ah battery delivered today. Hopefully it doesn’t double as a heater. 😉

I saw one or two comments that said something about overheating for this drill float around reddit as well, both in tools and milwaukeetools. But there were also people who don’t have the same complaint, unfortunately I don’t remember the usages that led to the comments, if they even specified it. My gen 3 doesn’t seem to have any issue. Heaviest usage I’ve given it was a few weeks ago to turn mid-grade 3/4” plywood and MDF into Swiss cheese with a bunch of 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 holes for vacuum and compressor hoses to pass through. Probably a solid 30 minutes of using the hole saws fairly continuously, and it was warm but I definitely wouldn’t characterize it as hot.

I’ve burned up two gen 3’s and went back to the gen 2. Never had any problem with those. The trans died on the one while mixing mortar, admittely not an approved use, but the gen 1 and 2 did it just fine for years. The second one died running a hole saw through 3/4 pine and 1inch of old tar roof. Maybe they have fixed the issue though. When the first gen came out I went through a couple of those because the bolt that held the chuck on would just snap because it couldn’t handle the torque, but they fixed that issue a few months later.

I’m not sure there is anything useful in that video. If it failed in use, then what is he replicating with no load testing? He claimed 110F around the housing is really hot, but that doesn’t seem unreasonable to me if it’s run continuously. It certainly isn’t too hot to hold. I don’t think the drill shut down, but I couldn’t bear watching this for more than a minute.

I use my Gen 2 to regularly drill 1″ holes through 12″x12″ pilings with long ship auger bits…the kind designed for right angle hole hogs… Handles the drilling just fine but I find myself needing to tighten the aux handle often as the torque from the drilling makes it wander. I can also feel the clamshell body flex under that ridiculous load, but she keeps on turning. It never torques out but after about 8 consecutive holes with no break in between, the drill does go into it’s thermal shut down temporarily and the motor area is quite warm. Definitely not the recommended use for the drill but it still handles it well. Going on 2 years of auger holes and no issues so far.

10 minutes for 36 holes should be a quick morning rough in task for premium drill released in the last 5 years. In my personal opinion, the identifier of torture testing at minimum involved task repetition until a standard (5-6ah in 2018 by my thoughts) battery is depleted. I understand you may not have that kind of time, but just sharing my opinion. The YouTube videos, and quick stress tests don’t really interest me when considering the actual work that goes into prewiring or plumbing an apartment, or cutting lumber calls and passing them up a roof, or any number of other all day tasks. A big pro I’ve found in newer tools is their ability to not flat out flash fry a fresh battery if a tool running a little hot. That kind of stuff is going to be the marker of a stress successful tool. As always though, I’m grateful for your every minute of well informed, and detail oriented attention, Stuart 👍

Ps-as a heavily invested DeWalt guy, I’m one slightest reason away from picking up these red gen 3s lol they look and sound fantastic. While I own multiple variations, sizes, and generations of impacts and drills, when the money isn’t tight it’s always helpful to have another in the box to lend an apprentice when their budget tools crap out. Only thing I can securely grumble that my DeWalts have over these, is the on tool lighting lol the 995/6 and 886 have pretty much perfected their respective lighting capabilities for me. My apologies for the two halves of a novel.

One idea I keep toying with is setting up a magnetic brake to create a simulated load, to see how different drills fare. But I keep coming back to the conclusion that it wouldn’t actually tell me anything useful.

Conducting bench testing until a battery is depleted is possible, but takes a whole lot of wood, and sometimes more than one spade bit. It gets tedious and tiring really fast, and doesn’t often tell much.

If I put the drill through more torture testing, it’ll probably be with a larger self-drilling bit as suggested, and with deeper holes. But I really don’t think it’ll accomplish much. I haven’t seen anything that could be considered “overheating” yet, just normal operation.

I am a professional stone amd custom to tile mason as well as general interior remodel specialist and i use my gen 3 hammer drill daily to mix mortar, stucco, Veneer plaster hard coat and honestly very little else due to the increased capability of my compact impacts I only use the drill for the heaviest allow applications, mixing mud or Drilling larger holes into concrete slabs when needed…and the only issue have encountered is the chuck seems at times to be unable to maintain a lock on my large mixing bit.Almost as if the drill has more torque than the Chuck can handle when using a large bit with a accumulating weight that increases on the end as material sticks to the bit and upon the engaging of the break of the drill when you release the trigger it seems to impact the Chuck in the opposite direction loosening to bed at times and causing it to release, some odd effect of inertia or something like that but not once has it become anything beyond somewhat warm and I am very very meticulous about mixing my mud when your bag of mortar says to mix for 5 minutes i mix for 10… ten solid minutes of what in my opinion an application that is one of the most stressful for a cordless drill and 0 problems

I’ve had some frustrating times with my Fuel drill overheating. Most recently while I was in a nasty attic to drill some 4” holes in plaster and lath with a hole saw. It just couldn’t keep up. Couldn’t even get through one hole without taking a break. I’m not actually sure which generation I have. If you can tell me how you can tell, I’ll report back.

Im on my 4th milwaukee m18 hammer drill.
-gen 1 brushed
-1- gen1 fuel
-1-gen2 fuel
-1-gen3 fuel
What I have come up with is this, these little drills get a monster of a workout. Get pushed beyond there abilities and do it well…however they simply begin to degrade, and you cannot blame milwaukee or _____brand drill for there demise.

Solution: get a m18super hole hawg (or similar “big” drill)for the heavy work, gear box can handle it and will save your smaller drill for finesse work.

I have the 2804-20 drill/hammer and I drill 13/16″
Shockwave lineman drill bit holes in utility poles all day long and no problem no over heating nothing very pleased no drill is even close to how the gen 3 performance. It drill so much faster and smoother then the hydraulic drill .

The 1/2 drill is the most abused tool usually. I know guys who break M18 Fuels all the time, one guy complained about a Gen3 but he was using it incorrectly. They are used many times in scenarios where you should be using a; hole hawg, mud mixer, or SDS instead. Having all those tools is more exp so people just ask the regular drill to do it instead.

With all due respect Stu your test was exactly why DIY guys like yourself,write about tools, not actually use them for a living.
.. That test was a joke. There are problems with the drill, we have two ,both overheat under constant load.
It’s on YT, Milwaukee.com, forums and most importantly in the real world. I understand Milwaukee is a huge sponsor but c’mon.
…As I’ve said before,we run 3 trucks . One all Milwaukee,one dewalt, one Makita…all the latest and greatest tools..
…also chuck problems.,the older drills we’re better. DeWalt 996 (4 yr old)matches it or beats it and doesn’t overheat.
. Milwaukee rushes products out and hands out free tools to every blog,vlog,that will spread red power. Dewalt, Makita, metabo don’t.
….it’s a HD hammer drill,it should be made to be abused for years.Its the same power as the previous model,but more compact. Maybe that’s the problem…
…. similar issue with the new impact driver

Comments here and many other places report the same thing,under constant load the drill gets very hot…that is not conducive to getting work done.

Okay, so aside from your typical “I’m the super pro, you’re all little amateurs” criticizing that you love to throw into just about every comment these days, what exactly are you doing that your drills are “overheating” under constant load?

Dewalt, Makita, and Metabo also provide tool review samples, but what does that have to do with anything? You always bring up “free tools,” as if it changes or influences anything. It doesn’t, at least not here.

Your testing methods and the data you collected doesn’t offer any useful information. You application for testing had zero rotational resistance to the motor and it certainly didn’t get hot enough to heat the magnets or melt the epoxy in the windings. You wasted your time. Mix up a thick batch of concrete or thinset or clamp the chuck in a vise and squeeze the button while holding the drill. Then let’s see if “nope, not mine” is applicable. There’s nothing good about cordless compact power tools because parts get shortened or they become not included in the assembly from the manufacturer. Robust design with robust parts is what makes a quality tool. Not shortening it and adding more plastic to make up for metal. I bet if it were a brushed motor these problems wouldn’t occur. It’s night and day in the build quality between the two. Imo, brushless seems to be more plastic than metal. No good.

So you’re saying I shouldn’t have tried testing the drill in a way that stalls and even burns up less powerful drills, and that I should instead clamp it in a vise and run it continuously under no-load conditions that draws the least amount of current? Sorry, but that’s not going to produce usable data. And more compact cordless power tools are bad because you think parts are simply left out during manufacturing?

If this was a brushed motor tool, it’d be half as powerful, maybe even less.

More plastic than metal? No, I’m sure there’s no more plastic or less metal in a brushless drill than a brushed motor one.

I think the quality of the gearbox and the electronics that communicate with the motor is the most important. I would hope the manufactures have gotten their communications systems smart enough with brushless motors to throttle them down when damage to the unit will occur. I’d rather have that then force a tool to perform a task when it’s not capable or when a part will breakdown.

Vcg ? Seriously ? The biggest hack on YT. Complete Fraud…Rigs tools to fail. He was a complete dewalt owner 18v Nicad ,,he never owned a 20v max tool.(his words)….claimed those Nicad dewalt tools we’re the best out there….then…..the channel grew from simple minded people watching…and ..
Milwaukee came calling, gave him tons of free tools and of course now Milwaukee is the best and dewalt sucks….
The guy hangs wallpaper and stains cement floors , that’s a handyman not a construction co..when he started he threatened people who disagreed with him….he doesn’t know anything about tools or how to use them.

I’ve never seen a drill stall or burn up drilling into wood. I think your full of it if you say you have. I have seen and smelled a drill burning while mixing thinset and concrete. The chuck in the vise was a joke that was obviously over your head smart-ass. What do you think happens when they reduce the size of a tool Stuart? Do really think that the parts stay the same size? How the hell would they make something smaller without size reduction of internal parts!? Do you think that they only reduce the size of the die for the injection? And how would you know if parts were left in or out? Do you take tools apart for repair or to see what changes were made in the design of different generations? No, you don’t. And I’ve never seen a picture that displays a comparison of internal parts sizes on here or anything discussed on the topic. With each generation seems to be a cheaper approach to manufacturing it. To prove that they reduce the size of parts and disprove the authors claim that they don’t do anything to internal parts I had to repair my impact driver yesterday. My Dcf887. The bearing on the back of the hammer that seats in the motor housing was toast. I have a dcf787 that I don’t use anymore that still has a good bearing on the hammer. So I thought I could switch the hammers out. I reassembled it and it didn’t go back together because the dcf787 had a bigger hammer on it. The are identical in diameter and every aspect except for the robustness of the parts. The gears and all the parts were more stout on the dcf787 and I could tell that it was machined differently than the dcf887 hammer. Bottom line is that It had more robust parts than the one that failed. Everything about it was inferior to the previous generation of the same part. The size of the parts and how it was machined was noticeable. You could tell that the level of build quality suffered. You could see the distinction between them and how they took a cheaper approach when they manufactured the parts of the dcf887. It was blatantly obvious that size reduction means quality reduction. The dcf787 is older than the dcf887. New and improved was obviously not the case although it was advertised to be so. Like Joe said, your test was a joke and you do not use these tools day in and day out and it’s obvious because you don’t have a clue about the generational quality differences in tools. You just go out to your little shop, do some half assed test for 5 minutes and then all of a sudden you have a complete assessment and evaluation of the tool, right? BULLSHIT! After that you probably leave it on the shelf until you donate it or use it for diy applications. You don’t test these tools in the same manner of rigorous application that people use them for to make a living. You test them at your convenience using what is convenient for you to test them out on. For example, I bet that you’ve never tested a circular saw cutting asphalt and concrete or deck blocks with a circular saw masonry blade or tried cut through roof decking with a double layer of plywood and shingles on it. You want to test whether or not a saw has balls that’s how you do it. I bet that very few of your tools have been broken in. When you own several generations of tools and you use them every day, you can tell the differences between them. And you can get a good feel of what got better or worse once you’ve broken in the tool after some heavy use. A 10 minute convenient test application doesn’t mean much of anything. And I didn’t say anything about the power of a brushed motor did I? I said if it were brushed it would likely not have failed. The clutch is what delivers the torque, not the motor. There’s obviously a communication problem between the motor and the clutch because a failure has occurred in the circuit board for the brushless motor to operate correctly. They don’t work without one. Yes I know that brushless motors deliver more power but that doesn’t mean shit in terms of durability. I wouldn’t take apart & repair my tools either if they were given to me for free.

You didn’t say parts were “reduced in size,” you said parts were left out of assembly during manufacture, as if they were superfluous. That’s not how engineering works.

Your exact words were “become not included in the assembly from the manufacturer,” and you’ve said similar before. How is that intended to be interpreted? It’s not like making a burger where you can skip the pickles to make it shorter.

You say “the clutch is what delivers the torque, not the motor.” The motor creates the torque. Well, the motor and gearbox. And yes, a clutch transmits that torque. But what does that have to do with anything here? What we’re trying to get to the bottom of is whether motor and rear motor housing temperatures are unexpectedly high during “normal” operation.

Frankly, you’re quick to complain and criticize, as you do in just about every single comment, and you don’t seem to understand the process I’m after.

Step 1: I conduct quick “torture” testing to assess whether it’s something I can replicate easily. 1-1/2″ self-drilling spade bits with hard pressure is a demanding application for a light and medium duty drill, and while it won’t push a Fuel drill to its limits, it should be taxing enough on the motor to check for unexpected “overheating.”

Step 2: With no overheating of any kind observed, ask ToolGuyd readers about their experiences. I haven’t heard of anything firsthand, and still haven’t seen anything firsthand. So, I share what I’ve done so far, and ask for help.

Step 3: Re-evaluate torture testing.

Drills under a certain mid-level torque will stall and even burn up when pushed with a 1-1/2″ self-drilling spade bit. This isn’t a sure way to push a heaviest duty cordless drill to its limits, but it’s a start.

It’s hard to fairly torture test a tool to check for overheating when I haven’t seen firsthand reports with examples of how it happened.

I ended the post with “I have yet to see any cause for concern or hesitation. I’m up for investigating this further, and can use a bit of help.” I’m sorry, but how does denigrating me for not cutting asphalt or roofing, or earning a living as a contractor or tradesman help anything?

Yes, I determine how and on what tools will be tested. Other times, I use them on whatever my project needs call for. And I also pass many around to local pros that use them for whatever their jobs call for. I’m sorry that you don’t approve, but that’s okay. I realized a long time ago that there is no feasible way to test each and every tool in any and every possible way that readers of all different backgrounds will put their tools through.

I can definitely burn a drill motor out if I need to, but the goal is to see what kind of “normal use” could lead to elevated operating temperatures.

You say “The dcf787 is older than the dcf887.” That is untrue. The DCF887 is older than the DCF787. Maybe you meant a different model?

Stu watch ” workshop addict” on YT he does a review of this drill , comparing it to the 996 which is/was one of the best HD drills on the market.
….he states several times that the Milwaukee drill gets hot. He reads the temp at the motor and says ,it’s hot.
…they do reviews,good reviews. They work on cars , they use tools every day. …
….and I mention crews for the reason to remind diy people that yes we (pros) use and abuse tools 10hrs a day ,every day.,not 10min at a time ..
…drills can be used for hours ,not a few minutes at a time…try drilling 1 1/2 holes through 6×10 PT or hem fir ., Drill through steel beams…these are things we do everyday…

Yes, we know you very strongly prefer Dewalt over Milwaukee, and that you’re not a DIYer.

YouTuber stress-tests and IR thermometers of internal motor temps (which is not a good way to characterize drill temps)?

What I’m looking for is “I used this drill on x-number of y-sized holes in such-and-such material, and it was so hot I couldn’t work with it” comments, or similar, and I have seen nothing like that yet.

First I prefer dewalt cordless circ saws, rear handle saw ,as there is no match…impacts are all the same more or less and same for drills….I use the Hitachi trip hammer and new Milwaukee impact to screw decks off….jobsite cordless jugsaw ,new DeWalt, shop jigsaw ,mafell..
….mitresaw for work , dewalt, shop ,kapex…
…I personally use those three brands , Milwaukee, dewalt, Makita at work every day , that’s how I know what works ,along with 40 other guys telling me what is better…
…as for this tale.of the.millwaukee drill overheating ,I quess there is no convincing you that it overheats, … comments have said so, videos show it , construction workers say it…..as for sponsorship ,ya they do get preference over one another.
You won’t say it ,but it’s true…it’s your livelihood..not mine …I could care less what brand makes the best tools, I just need to use the best tools to get the job done , as fast as possible…and with as much quality as possible…
….I do enjoy toolguyd and the fact you seem more willing to comment back to people and show some balls..Let guys discuss things, it’s real….

The problem is that there isn’t enough information from firsthand accounts, only YouTube videos that seem sensationalist to me.

The first round of testing didn’t show much. But instead of “maybe try…” I get “that test sucked, you’re not a pro.”

“I used this drill on x-number of y-sized holes in such-and-such material, and it was so hot I couldn’t work with it” really would help – that would 1) indicate there’s a potential concern that definitely warrants a lot more investigation and conversation with Milwaukee, and 2) provide better guidelines as to how to replicate similar motor load but in an accelerated timeframe.

The approach needs to be controlled and scientific, and that’s my wheelhouse.

The added difficulty with this is because “overheating” is inaccurate. That would imply that the drill is operating well beyond its normal temperature range to the point of the motor burning itself up. But what the YouTubers are complaining about is that what, the rear of the drill is getting a little hot during heavy use?

A tool running hot? that’s typical for drills being pushed heavily. When looking for the upper performance limits of less powerful drills, I’ve learned to keep my hands away from the hot exhaust vents. With more powerful drills, an aux handle makes that easier.

Let’s say that normal operation can elevate the temperature of the drill higher than anticipated. Then there’s the question of “is that a problem?” For who will it be a problem? What types of applications?

At this point, I still haven’t heard from any real users complaining about the tool being unreasonably hot during their regular work, and I haven’t been able to increase the temperature high enough for me to be convinced there’s a cause for concern.

So, I presented what I’ve done so far, and with guidance I know what the next step will be – testing with 2-9/16″ self-feed bits.

I know, and everyone at least semi-regular here knows what a tool you are-pun intended. But seriously, what’s your plan in coming to Stuart’s site and trying to self proclaim your lazy ass as the king of all subject matter? You’re obviously not running your own site, or being solicited for any of your perpetually negative opinions. You’re a blowhard behind a keyboard, likely because even you’re aware that you’d be spitting out your teeth if you engaged people in the real world with the same gusto you do here. Literally everyone here knows you’re a tool and/or a troll, and I’m sure to be reminded that not engaging fools like you is the correct response, but you’re you’re seriously sitting at your computer or on your phone harassing this man like a 12 year old little girl. Why not take a reflective break and let the well adjusted human beings discuss tools without your already overstated opinions on the tools and the people trying to talk politely? I imagine Stu is going to delete this, because he’s a good guy and won’t want to see anyone being confrontational even on his behalf, but I sincerely hope you lay eyes on this at least once.

Sounds like maybe a combo of a bad batch of motors that might have survived lighter-duty use, combo’d with users who overload the motor, which of course leads it to get really, really hot.

I’d be interested to hear what the offical word from TTi/Milwaukee is on the issue, if any. If they deny any widespread issue but advise users who experience overheating to contact them for warranty replacements, that might be a sign it’s just a minor production problem that don’t want to seem freaked out about. It’d be nice if they just publicly noted if there is a producton issue with a certain batch of motors and/or give the info on which models/serial numbers are affected so those users can just get a new tool rather than waiting for a problem to occur.

That said, some people sure do use a drill for stuff that an impact driver would be way better suited for.

There’s not enough to start a conversation with them yet. “Hi Milwaukee, some YouTubers are complaining about the new M18 Fuel Gen 3 drills overheating, what’s up with that?” is not strong enough to have an actual discussion with anyone.

I need exact reader accounts, or repeatable personal observations or test data, and I’ve got none of that yet.

I’m with you Stuart. At some point a small handful of accounts sounds like a trainee forgot to install thermal compound for a few thousand units.

Lots of folks talking like pros here, but do we want to talk about how Dewalt uses a battery connection that deals terribly with metalworking, to the point that they had to add a metal slide tab into my flex volt grinder just to get the latch to release in dirty environments, and prevent the latch pocket from wearing away?

My fancy new flexvolt grinder lasted all of 3 months in a professional fabrication shop, and it’s a terrific tool, but dewalts latch design straight up sucks in a heavy metal work environment. I have to slap the damn thing on a table to get the battery out… so what if my gen3 overheats, at least I can change batteries on it.

With tools, as well as other products and even fabrications or constructions of other kinds, real-world results can vary from models and simulations. And, even with prototypes and early tester feedback, unexpected things can happen.

Why would a so called pro use a flexvolt grinder for HD fabrication? Wouldn’t a pro use metabo ,as they make the best grinders.? And corded?
….. flexvolt is only 4 1/2-6 ” and 13amp equivalent…metabo has anti vibration handles and 15amp tools..
…that’s like using a HF cordless saw and saying it sucks to build houses with…that flexvolt grinder is not designed for daily heavy duty fabrication…the batteries won’t even last long ,maybe 12min out of a 9ah..
….use the proper tools for the work it’s designed for and btw AVE claims it’s one of the best grinders he’s used…

How did I know you were gonna bring up AVE… dude you’re seriously flapping in the wind here. Yes, as I mentioned above it’s a terrific tool and it’s arguably the best cordless grinder on the market. The battery connection still sucks. Does that mean I’m going to start dragging cords all over the shop again for every single job? Nope, but I’m also not gonna have a freak out about my (equally well built) gen3 having a *possible* problem that *hasn’t even happened* to me, when my flexvolt grinder has a *real* problem that I deal with *every single day*

You’re telling me you honestly believe the flexvolt grinder is not marketed towards and intended for professionals!?! Who is it marketed to then, homeowners?

Yes, how could a grinder that lasts 5-12 min depending on the battery be aimed at a metal worker or fabricator that uses it all day ?
…. changing batteries 5x an hour, 40x a day ? The battery takes 45-60 min to charge ….C’mon…it’s meant for.a quick repair or quick job when you need more then a 20v unpowered tool..
…for framing we can use the 575 or 577 for half a day with a 12ah..so only two batteries are needed per tool, it’s completely different. That particular tool uses far too much power for someone using it for 8hrs., But you know that and your just being difficult.
…. besides never met a fabricator that doesn’t use metabo…

AVE viewers crack me up… in one comment thread, they’re telling me that the flexvolt grinder sucks because AVE held the trigger down until the battery died and it only lasted for 5 minutes, and in another thread they’re telling me it’s the best grinder he’s ever used. The guy would be entertaining if his viewers didn’t make me want to gouge my own eyes out so I’d never have to see the internet again.

Just to be clear, I wasn’t implying you should personally contact TTi/Milwaukee about this, just that it’d be interesting to hear whatever the official line was if anyone contacted them after having such an issue.

Perhaps the right people read the blog and might see the post and do some digging to see if any kind of action is needed.

Most of the reviews on Milwaukee’s website for the Gen 3 Fuel drill had sub-par reviews and I see a Milwaukee engineer reach out to one of the reviewers so if their is an issue I’m sure they are aware of it. Maybe the heat generated is normal for this little powerful drill and only in some cases it has been a real issue.

Mine overheated. Running a 6” hole saw on low through steel nema 4 enclosures. First day we drilled 20 boxes no overheating but it was only 28 degreesf second day it was in the 50’s made it through 7 and the drill was very hot to the touch was using 9.0 batteries. On the 8th box it stopped and wouldn’t drill anymore. Finished boxes 8-12 with a hitachi. About 2 hours later on Box 13 started with the gen 3 and there was a noticeable smell of burning and the drill began to smoke about halfway through. Finished the day with the hitachi. Got my gen 1 fuel out of the garage and put it on the truck pitched the gen 3 in the trash.

Gen 3 is smaller lighter but offers more torque at the same rpms. Seems like we have reached the definition of what is the limit.

Numerous people have said the same thing…..when used under load for a period of time,the drill overheats to the point you can’t touch it….not when ” pushing hard ‘ for a few holes….this drill should be able to handle everything but what the hole hawg does …..

I only switched off the gen1 because it acts up when it gets wet. I don’t get paid to sit on hold with tech support, I don’t get paid to box up the drill, print shipping labels, drive it to ups, only to be told they found nothing wrong.

Tools are supposed make my life easier, I refuse to waste hours of my time to end up with a coupon for the same drill that burned up! My sanity is worth hella more than $149

I haven’t had any issues with my Gen 3, I’ve drilled dozens of 2 1/8″ and 2 9/16″ holes with not so sharp self feed bits and some 1 3/8″ as well using a 5.0 battery in 2×4 lumber in both speeds. Sure, the drill warms up and gets hot but no thermal shutdown or issues. Things are a beast, must be a bad batch or low battery power.

Count me in as one who had a Gen 3 overheat multiple times. We were drilling into tube steel 4x fence posts to put hinges and latches in for gates. Each location had 24 holes for hinges that were then tapped. The drill couldn’t finish more than 10 holes at a time. We tried new drill bits, cutting oil etc and it just thermally shut down every time. We grabbed a 4 year old Ridgid 18v drill out of the truck and finished everything just fine with it. Considering the cost of the Milwaukee and the fact it is nearly brand new I’m pretty disappointed.

My Gen 3 Fuel One Key drill/driver gets so hot I have to set it down or my hands will be burnt. This was using it the first time. My wife wanted a hole in a small ceramic pot for water drainage. Used a new titanium drill bit that didn’t work well and took several minutes to drill through the ceramic/clay pot bottom. I could only drill 1 hole and had to set the drill down. It was even hot well after 10 minutes of resting. I need to find my temperature gun next time. Someone could really get serious burns. I love Milwaukee and this was my only complaint. During regular use, screwing some deck screws in or drilling holes through wood it has been amazing.